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Welcome to Wednesday Word(s) of the Week at beBee: WWW.beBee

True story (always true). I was sifting through a few possible words for my Wednesday Word of the Week post and thought that “metaphor” would be my choice. I log on to beBee to post the buzz and see Ana Arlinda Alcantara Caldeira's, share, “How metaphors shape women’s lives”. I was so excited to have this connection to the post. Unfortunately, my excitement turned to frustration when I read the article and so, offered the following comment:

Thank you for the share @Ana Arlinda Alcantara Caldeira, but I need to strongly and respectfully disagree with the author's message and her use of quotes and "scientific research" to support her claims. My mother, who is my first and best teacher, taught me from a very young age: "If you do not know something, don't be afraid to say, I don't know, I need to find out. But if you are sure you know something, don't be afraid to speak up." I am speaking up because I am sure I know about metaphors and this article is giving a very misleading and distorted view of what metaphors are. The author writes, "...it shouldn’t be forgotten that metaphors simplify complexity." False. Metaphors provide a language to express things which are often beyond words. The words used may be "simpler" than the idea being conveyed, but opens the door to exploration which were shut before the metaphor was used. In my humble opinion, the author is suggesting that metaphors are "limiting" in order to argue her very subjective viewpoint about female/male relationships in the work place. The only thing she has accomplished, as far as I am concerned, is to use a hammer to remove a screw.
SJ

Now, I would like to share what the word “metaphor” means to me.

There are three aspects of ourselves that makes up our fabric; we are sensory beings, we are conscious beings and we are creative beings. Our ability to imagine crosses all three areas.

Imaging, the ability to recreate sensory impressions and feelings in our minds in the absence of outside stimuli, is the most important thinking skill we acquire for creativity.

The language of imagination is metaphor; inspiration takes flight is an example. The metaphor is "out there" to make it possible for us to sense and experience things in an unexpected way. We use metaphors all the time. Being aware of their use and applying this language in a stimulating and meaningful way, makes the verbal expression of the non-verbal sensory experience possible.

George Lakoff and Mark Johnsen say it best:

“Metaphor is for most people a device of the poetic imagination and the rhetorical flourish—a matter of extraordinary rather than ordinary language. Moreover, metaphor is typically viewed as characteristic of language alone, a matter of words rather than thought or action. For this reason, most people think they can get along perfectly well without metaphor. We have found, on the contrary, that metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but in thought and action. Our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of which we both think and act, is fundamentally metaphorical in nature.
The concepts that govern our thought are not just matters of the intellect. They also govern our everyday functioning, down to the most mundane details. Our concepts structure what we perceive, how we get around in the world, and how we relate to other people. Our conceptual system thus plays a central role in defining our everyday realities.” - (2003) Metaphors we live by. London: The university of Chicago press.

Image credit: Pesticide Action Network

Invitation: I invite you all to contribute your words. Please send me a message with your word, its definition and what it means to you by Monday. Looking forward to next week.

Quiero pediros e invitaros a enviarme una palabra que tenga un significado especial para tí.